YES, THAT IRON MAIDEN. IS THERE ANOTHER?
THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING PROJECTS WE HAVE WORKED ON, COMBINING THE BEST OF MULTIPLE THINGS WITH A SPIRIT THAT ALPINISM SOME SAY IS DWINDLING. WE HAVE BEEN PUTTING THIS TOGETHER OVER WINTER AND SEVERAL TRIPS, WORKING OUT WITH THE MAIDEN TEAM SOMETHING UNIQUE.
THIS TRIP IS AS MUCH REAL EXPLORATORY ALPINISM AS IT IS A WAY TO DO GOOD AND A WAY TO BRING SOME OF THE ATTITUDE BACK TO CLIMBING. IRON MAIDEN HAVE ALWAYS REPRESENTED REBELLION, DARK HUMOR, ENGAGEMMENT AND UNCONVENTIONALISM, AND THROUGH THE TRUANTS HAVE BEEN RAISING MONEY WITH ENDURANCE EVENTS AND OTHER ASCENTS NOW FOR A DECADE.
TO CELEBRATE THE TEN YEARS THEY RAISED THE IDEA OF THIS ASCENT, CREATING SOMETHING FOR THE FUTURE THAT ALL CLIMBERS CAN SWING THROUGH, COMBINING WITH OUR OTHER PROJECTS THAT INCLUDE LOCAL EMPLOYMENT AND SNOW LEOPARD RESEARCH.
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THE BASICS
THE FIRST ASCENT OF A 5400m PEAK IN NORTHERN TIBET IN COLLABORATION WITH THE HEAVY METAL TRUANTS, THE CHILDRENS CANCER CHARITY SPONSORED BY A COLLECTIVE OF METAL BANDS, SPEARHEADED BY IRON MAIDEN. THIS EXPEDITION IS IN FULL COORDINATION WITH THE BAND, ORGANIZED DIRECTLY WITH THEIR LABEL.
THIS IS A TRUE HIGH ALTITUDE ALPINE EXPEDITION, TO A BARELY KNOWN RANGE IN A VERY COOL CORNER OF TIBET. 10% OF EACH TEAMSTERS PRICE GOES TO THE TRUANTS, AS WILL 10% OF ALL FUTURE ASCENTS OF WHAT WE WILL OFFICIALLY NAME AS IRON MAIDEN PEAK.
BEFORE YOU ASK, THERE WILL BE TEAM SHIRTS BY THE MAIDEN ARTISTS. AS IS OUR POLICY YOU MUST BE ON THE TEAM TO GET ONE, THEY ARE NOT FOR SALE. WE WILL SAY HERE AND NOW THEY WILL BE THE COOLEST CLIMBING SHIRTS EVER PRINTED. WE ARE ALSO WORKING ON SOME COLLABORATIVE DYNEEMA PACKS FEATURING GRAPHICS THAT NEED TO BE SEEN TO BE BELIEVED.
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THE PEAK
WE CHOSE THIS PEAK OUT OF MANY OPTIONS, TO BE ONE THAT WAS FEASIBLE TO BE CLIMBED FOR YEARS TO COME, AS A WORTHY OBJECTIVE IN ITS OWN RIGHT, AS AN ACCLIMATION PEAK FOR BIGGER THINGS, AND AS SOMETHING FOR MAIDEN FANS. HARD TECHNICAL ROUTES CERTAINLY EXIST ON IT, BUT THERE ARE ALSO MORE DOABLE ROUTES, AND WE HOPE THAT FOR YEARS TO COME CLIMBERS WILL ATTEMPT IT IN ALL SORTS OF WAYS.
THE LOCATION OF THIS PEAK WILL REMAIN GUARDED FOR ALL BUT TEAM MEMBERS UNTIL AFTER THE EXPEDITION.
THE CLIMBING
THIS FIRST ASCENT EXPEDITION WILL BE AROUND 17 DAYS CHENGDU TO CHENGDU, FEATURING TRAVEL FAR ACROSS THE NORTHERN TIBET PLATEAU AND OUR WELL-HONED ACCLIMATION SCHEDULE. THE PEAK HAS MINIMAL ACCESS AND APPROACH ISSUES, AND WE KNOW THE AREA WELL, HAVING RECCED IT ALL IN SPRING 2024.
THE CLIMBING WILL BE LEAD BY OUR CORE TEAM, AS A TRUE TEAM NOT SOME GUIDED TOUR. THIS IS REAL CLIMBING, FOR REAL CLIMBERS NOT THE EQUIVALENT TO THOSE HEAVY METAL CRUISES WHERE THE BAND DOES ALL THE WORK.
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WHO CAN JOIN
FOUR TEAMSTER POSITIONS ARE OPEN, THAT WILL JOIN THE MAIDEN TEAM FOR A TOTAL OF EIGHT.
FIRST AND FOREMOST YOU NEED TO SHARE THE MIDSET OF LOUD MUSIC, ENERGY AND THE LUST FOR LIFE, BUT YOU MUST ALSO BE A CLIMBER PREPARED FOR TIBETAN STYLE CLIMBING. THIS INCLUDES BEING GEARED UP FOR A HIMALAYAN SPRING AND COMFORTABLE WITH A GOOD LEVEL OF ALPINISM, AND HAVE THE APTITUDE FOR FIRST ASCENTS AND EXPLORATORY CLIMBING.
YOU WILL KNOW THIS IS YOU BECAUSE THAT PRECEEDING PARAGRAPH HAS YOU REACHING FOR THE VOLUME DIAL.
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TIMELINE
THIS TRIP MIXES FIRST ASCENT ALPINISM WITH A TIBET ROAD TRIP AND THE DOCUMENTING OF IT ALL, SO PULLS BACK A LITTLE FROM THE INTENSITY OF OUR USUAL ALPINE-OBSESSIVE STYLE. BUT NOT MUCH. THERE WILL BE SOME EXTRA BUFFER TIME TO ALLOW FOR WEATHER, TEAM HIJINX AND THE OCCASIONAL BEER, AND TO TAKE IN THE AMBIENCE OF A UNIQUE TRIP.
DAY 1 ARRIVE CHENGDU
DAY 2 DRIVE TO KANGDING
DAY 3/4/5 ACCLIMATION AROUND KANGDING
DAY 6 DRIVE TO IRON MAIDEN PEAK AREA
DAY 7/8 RECCE AND ACCLIMATION
DAY 9/10/11/12/13 CLIMBING
DAY 14 RETURN TO TOWN
DAY 15 RETURN TO KANGDING
DAY 16 RETURN TO CHENGDU
DAY 17 FLY OUT
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COSTS
TO BE ANNOUNCED.
COSTS WILL FALL IN LINE WITH OUR USUAL TIBET 5000-6000m TRIPS. WE ARE HAMMERING OUT SOME DETAILS SPECIFIC TO THE TRUANTS AND IRON MAIDENS IDEAS, BUT YOU CAN REFERENCE THOSE AS AN IDEA.
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ENGAGE
HAVE THE CONVERSATION. TICK THE ‘IRON MAIDEN PEAK’ BOX ON THE CONTACT PAGE AND INTRODUCE YOURSELF.
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